Yoghurt Slow & Easy

Yoghurt
Originally uploaded by eatzycath.

This is dinner tonight. Why?

• Because I had just finished a line-dancing class this evening and I didn't want all that burnt energy to go to waste plus nutrition info on carton indicated 110 calories, LOW FAT, LOW CHOLESTEROL with MILK CALCIUM.

• Because I have just started reading Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything and his introduction chapter dealt with his food phobias. That got me thinking about mine.

I'm partial to milk, I repeat 'partial' - a dash in the morning coffee, and maybe half a glass of really cold, cold milk on a really hot sweltering day (as I've discovered that one usually cannot 'taste' milk at very low temperatures). Not sure if it's an Asian thing but my Chinese family members are no fans either (other than my mum, who at the ripe age past 60 is still drinking the powdered version - good for her!).

Anyway, I have digressed. Milk I can take in small doses but YOGHURT is a different ballgame altogether. My first experience of yoghurt many years back was 'yucky' plain sour natural yoghurt. Big mistake... especially for a non-milk enthusiast. Two spoonfuls and the effects of lactose-intolerancy reared its threatening head. Later I discovered that this claim of intolerance was purely a mental state - cos' the fermentation process which turns milk into yoghurt converts most of the lactose in milk to lactic acid (without lactose, there is no intolerance!). Regardless, I never repeat bad experiences if I can help it.

Recently, I am a little concerned about the amount of calcium (or lack thereof) stored in my bones and not being a conscientious pill-popper, have decided to give this stuff another try. According to Steingarten, food phobias should be dealt with through constant exposure at moderate intervals. I have thus decided to start with a small 150g cup of yoghurt which will not be white in color nor entirely sour since it will be flavored with mixed strawberries and blueberries (any sourness encountered will be attributed to the berries).

I must now admit that this particular brand of yoghurt tasted quite good (a far cry from my initial experience). In fact, I'm now considering the 2nd cup in the fridge - banana-flavored, hmmmm! Recognizing that flavored yoghurt is not quite the same as the plain ones, I will attempt plain ole yoghurt again but probably when I have exhausted testing of all flavored yoghurt in the market (this exposure method should take a while).

By the way, Jeffrey Steingarten 'cracks' me up - truly a must read for the gourmet, gourmand, foodie, whatever. I must try to locate old copies of Vogue, to seek out his food writings..to the library we shall go this weekend.